Ultra-low voltage processor can be slow at times. 41-Wh battery is not big enough. No optical drive.

Bottom Line

The Lenovo IdeaPad U350 is cheap, light, and well designed, but don't expect anything amazing from the ultra-low voltage processor and small battery.

Systems based on Intel's consumer ultra-low voltage (CULV) chipsetsthat is, laptops that run on budget-friendly, low-powered processorsare no longer rarities, appearing frequently on store shelves in the form of thin-and-light laptops. In speed, these CPUs rank above netbook processors by a mere grade or two, which isn't a whole lot. In return, though, the power savings can mean a great deal for battery life. The Lenovo IdeaPad U350 ($650 direct) is the latest to join the CULV family. It's a 13-inch ultraportable that deep-sixes the optical drive to achieve super-thin form factor. The U350 can be sluggish at times and the 41-Wh battery is small, but at $650, it's not like Lenovo is ripping you off.

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Design
Back in the day, a 13-inch laptop rode the line between the ultraportable and mainstream category. But now, with a low-powered processor, clunky fans aren't a requirement and manufacturers can concentrate on making the unit thinner. Clearly, the U350 makes the cut as an ultraportable, weighing just 3.6 pounds and measuring 12.8 by 9 by 0.8 inches. The U350, however, takes it a step further by shedding the optical drive, thereby reducing its weight below the level of the Apple MacBook Pro 13-inch (4.5 pounds) and the Toshiba Satellite U505-S2930 (4.8 pounds).

Though it isn't as slim as the MSI X340 (021US) (at 0.8 inches thick), the U350 is better designed. Its lid is dark brown and textured with a diamond pattern. Though it isn't actually leather, the plastics are molded meticulously to give it that illusion. And the lid's coarseness provides the perfect protection against smudges and scratches. The aluminum finishes found in the MacBook Pro 13-inch and the Acer Aspire 3935 are excellent at warding off finger prints as well, but they're not immune to scratches.

The U350 uses a 13.3-inch LED screenbright, with good viewing angles to boot. The screen isn't any better or worse than the ones found in the MacBook Pro 13-inch and the MSI X340both of which have similar WXGA (1,366-by-768) resolutions. The Dell Studio 14z, on the other hand, goes up a notch with a 14-inch widescreen and a 1,600-by-900 resolution. A good user experience is often defined by the keyboard, mouse buttons, and pointing device on a system. The U350's user experience ranks up there with that the Dell 14z and the Macbook Pro 13-inch, and more importantly, the keyboard doesn't vibrate or bend like that of the MSI X340. The mouse buttons are responsive, as the weight of your thumb is all it takes to press them. And the touchpad is slightly textured, so that there's some friction when your index finger is sliding over it.

Features
An internal DVD burner is probably the most glaring omission, and not that big a deal since software, movies, and music can be downloaded online. Of course, if you need one, the MacBook Pro 13-inch, the Acer 3935, and the Toshiba U505-S2930 come with dual-layer DVD burners. The rest of the features are consistent with budget-friendly ultraportables, including an HDMI-out port, three USB ports, a media card reader, and a webcam. The 14z, meanwhile, comes with both HDMI and DisplayPort technologies and a FireWire port. The U350's 320GB hard drive is slightly above average, based on the fact that the MacBook Pro and the Acer 3935 start with 160GB and 250GB drives, respectively.

Performance
Performance is the least memorable element of the U350. The system runs on the affordable, energy efficient 1.3-Ghz, Pentium SU2700 Intel CULV processor, which uses single core and can be quite sluggish at times. It comes with a ton of memory, thoughwell, 4GB's worthand that helps to balance the speed limits of the processor. In PCMark Vantage tests, unfortunately, the U350 scored about half as much as the MacBook Pro 13-inch and the Acer 3935. It took more than 3 minutes to transcode a video (with Windows Media Encoder 9), while the Acer 3935 and the MacBook Pro 13-inch (running Vista via Boot Camp) took about a minute to finish the same test.

Battery life could've been a lot better had the U350 used a bigger battery. The 41-Wh battery drained in 3 hours, 12 minutes in MobileMark 2007 tests, which is anything but impressive. The Acer 3935 managed 4 hours, 50 minutes using a similar battery, while the MacBook Pro 13-inch scored 4 hours, 44 minutes with its 58-Wh battery.

Besides better battery life, a low-powered processor has another desirable attribute: It won't impact your utility bills. Additionally, the U350 has all the green certifications, including EPEAT Gold, RoHS, and Energy Star 5.0. Of course, we can't just take Lenovo's word for it. Measuring with a P3 International Kill-A-Watt meter, we confirmed that the U350 does indeed met Energy Star's requirements (14 watts or lower), posting a 13 watt reading. With so much going for it, the U350 easily snagged our GreenTech Approved award.

Say what you want about performance scores and battery life, but for $650 the Lenovo IdeaPad U350 is a great deal for bargain hunters. If you want the optical drive and better battery life, you'll have to pay a little more for the Apple MacBook Pro 13-inch or the Acer Aspire 3935. If not, the U350 is an attractive ultra-light for those who are heading back to school or looking for a commute-friendly laptop.

Lenovo IdeaPad U350

Lenovo IdeaPad U350

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